MSNBC now has a news system to comptete with Google News, it's called Newsbot. It's definitely more "consumery" looking, so that might a good thing in terms of the average user liking it, but time will tell if it really works better. Oh, one other thing, it's completely powered by Moreover, my old company, so it better work well.

Boston: Granted, I might feel different if I were at a star-studded gala tonight, but some extremely loud fireworks just went off (it's after midnight) which must have awakened large populations of Bostonians who are already ticked off at the inconveniences caused by the Democratic Convention here. I can't help but thing this is not good PR.

Not only that, but a good fireworks display probably costs $100,000. (which is where that $50 I sent John Kerry probably went). Why not spend the money giving out free bagels on the commuter trains and appologizing for the inconvinience? It's a sure way to win some votes! Would that be legal?

The DNC is rolling into town here with a vengance, and with it, no end of parties and good times. I saw Billy Bragg at a place called the "Middle East" in Cambridge last night, fantastic show, politically charged as you might imagine. Billy was actually hilariously funny, and not at all the stoic character I expected. Check him out if you have a chance.

I got bored on the train somewhere in Connecticut the other day and started going through photos of this year's adventures. This is a cool one: A family taking advantage of the only shade available in the blazing Sonoran Desert on Mexico Hwy 15 somewhere between Nogales and Hermosillo.

The occasional pitfalls of the freelancer: I arrived in Boston about an hour ago and went straight across the street to the nearest Starbucks and have been plowing thought about 35 emails... latte tastes the same here, but there's definitely a major buzz in the air about the DNC, which ought to be rather exciting. More later...

Greetings from Stonington, CT. It dosn't get much more peaceful than this. Out on a spit of land in Long Island Sound, the only thing to hear is the horn from a bouy. It's gorgeous. Boats and restaurants are here and there, and a certain sensibility you can't find on the west coast that's definitely New "English" if that means anything...

Still, I can't get over the apparantly widespread East-coast phenomenon of charging money to go to the beach. $6 and a nasty chain link fence all the way down the sand in Rhode Island! Call me a communist, but I'm of the opinion that beaches everywhere should be free, period.

Mesothelioma is a condition that affects people who have been exposed to Asbestos. It's also the most highly sought after ad-word on the internet, commanding an astonishing $100 a click according to overture. This is fascinating for a number of reasons:

1) The sheer fact that a one-click ad could possibly be worth that much to anyone.

2) The demonstration that there is so much money tied up in asbestos litigation (not to mention countless other areas) that lawyers will pony up that kind of cash to get clients.

For more information check the links on the left side of this page. Or read what Andrew has to say.

Statistics can actually be very fun. Check out fundrace.org You can enter anyone's name and find out if they've donated to one candidate or another. Even cooler, there are maps of cities pinpointing the addreses of donations which gives a interesting picture particularily if you compare Houston to Boston. It's even got data on which candidate spends more at hotels... amazing.

The New York obsession with packaging takes off again: This morning I was asked if I would like a bag with my cup of coffee. Huh? At least they asked!

Allow me to publicly vent, hopefully to the benefit of everyone. Voicemail should work like this: You call someone, the voicemail gives a brief message - "Hi, this is so-and-so, please leave a message", BEEP. That's it. Why in hell do cell phones insist on adding "To leave a voice message, press 1. To leave your callback number, press 5, for more options press buttons untill you go insane". Does anyone EVER actually do anything other than just leave a message??? There must at least be a way to spare those who call me this annoyance... anyone know?

Finally made it to New York, and it's so hot I'm typing this with napkins between my palms and the laptop to keep them from slipping on sweat. Nonetheless, this is truly the king of cities. There is more going on here than anywhere.

Observations:

- You can save $2 by taking the Subway one way, then a bus back, but don't do it via midtown or ths bus just sits there in traffic
- New York seems to be packaging crazy, you always get a straw with a canned soda and an inch-thick stack of napkins, hence my attempt to recycle them
- Airport transportation is remarkably primitive.
- There is excellent bouldering right in Central Park
- Everything about Central Park is awesome
- It is amazingly friendly here
- The food is phenomenal, even if it does cost twice what it should, speaking of which, the $12 burritos at Mexicana Mama on Hudson Street open up an entirely new genre of tortilla-wrapped cuisine.

Just did a very cursory makeover of 646industries, in connection with a grander career makeover. Since I spend so much time working on people's Moveable Type powered weblogs, it's only logical to market myself as an expert in it. The site will get a lot more detailed, but I think it will suffice as a quick fix.

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